So, you want to cross into Laos with a motorbike but have been told you need an expensive tour or been told to purchase company services at the border. I was told all of this too, and it’s nonsense. How do I know? I self-drove the border myself in September 2024 with a 125cc (apparently you need a 250cc minimum). In this article, I’ll share with you exactly how I crossed the border into Laos with a Thai motorcycle, and how you can do the same.
If you want to watch a video, I made one which covers the process of crossing the Thai-Lao border
What Do I Need To Cross The Border?
Let’s get the paperwork out of the way first, to cross the Laos border with a motorbike you will need:
- Motorcycle ownership document (if Thai this is a green book, if Vietnamese it’s a blue book)
- Valid driving license
- International driving permit (if ASEAN license you do not need)
- Temporary Import Permit (if motorcycle is foreign)
- Temporary Export Permit (if motorcycle is Thai or Vietnamese)
- Passport valid within 6 months
- Visa stamp (do this last! explained below)
If you have a license from your home country, you will need an international drivers permit. If however, you have an ASEAN driving license, you can pass without any permit needed as per the Geneva Convention.
Don’t have an ASEAN license and want one? Check out this article that will guide, you step by step, through the process of getting a Thai Drivers License.
If you want to cross with a rented motorbike from Thailand, you will need permission from the original owner. This is usually quite hard to get, so we recommend renting a motorcycle in Laos when you get there. If you have your own bike, then carry on reading!
Which Borders Can I Cross?
There are multiple borders with Thailand, Cambodia and Laos you can cross, but only some of them are not corrupt:
- Thai Lao Borders
- Chong Mek (only border possible with 125cc Thailand)
- Mukdahan
- Nong Khai (need tour)
- Chiang Khong
- Huai Kon
- Cambodia-Lao
- Stung Treng-Nong Nok Khiene (incredibly corrupt, avoid)
- Vietnam-Lao
- Tay Trang -Sop Hun
- Na Meo-Nam Xoi
- Nam Can-Nam Khan
- Cau Treo-Nam Phao
- Cha Lo-Naphao
- Lao Bao-Dansavanh
- Le Thanh-Bo Y
Important note: if you have a Vietnamese or Thai motorcycle you can travel freely in Laos. However, if you want to go to Thailand with a VN-plated bike, it’s not possible. This is the same for Vietnam on a TH-plated bike. But rules have recently been updated for Vietnam, and it has got a lot more difficult. I will focus on Thailand in this article.
A Quick Word on Vietnamese Bikes
Recently the rules have changed for Vietnam, making it far harder to take your bike from Vietnam, even if you are bringing it back and have all the required documentation such as the Blue Book. The only thing I can advise here is to check motorbike forums such as Horizons Unlimited. Unfortunately, these borders are very hit and miss and are extremely corrupt.
Some people get through, some people don’t. It can depend on the day etc. I’ve heard some instances of people just getting a visa and no import documents drive off into Vietnam with a Thai-plated bike, so things are possible (even if illegal and we don’t recommend that).
How To Cross Laos on a Thai-Plated Bike
To cross into Laos on a Motorcycle you need to:
- Avoid all borders apart from Chong Mek (unless you want to pay fees)
- Drive to the border
- Park bike and DO NOT get visa yet
- Talk to customs, get temporary export permit
- Walk to customs on Lao side and start temporary import process
- Pay 60,000 kip for temporary import permit
- Go to Thai side, stamp out with visa
- Get Lao tourist visa $30 USD
- Drive through customs again, get stamps
- Purchase insurance other side (Optional)
- Done!
Obviously, the process requires a bit more explanation and depth for you to complete it correctly, but these are the rough guidelines. I will go into more detail below, under headings.
Choosing Border To Cross
All other borders in Thailand require a service, or a company. At popular border crossings in Thailand you will be told you need a service. On the Lao side, they will tell you that you need a $100 company/tour to register your bike. This is true for all borders apart from Chong Mek. So, choose wisely and cross at Chong Mek – you’ll save yourself over $98!
Additionally, you need to take into account the CC of your bike. If you have a 125cc, no other border will let you pass. If you have a higher cc bike, you may have a better chance of crossing the other borders, but most will still require you to purchase a tour or company service.
Getting A Temporary Export or Import Permit
If you have a foreign motorbike you will have already got a Temporary Import Permit, just show this to customs, they will stamp it out for you and let you pass.
If you have a purchased a Thai bike, you will go to customs on the Chong Mek side, simply talk to customs, tell them your travel plans and they will issue you a temporary export permit.
You can get up to 60 days at the border, but if you need longer you will have to go to the Department Land of Transport in the province in which your bike is registered and obtain a document from them. You can get up to a year of temporary export from Thailand (they may ask you for a fee).
If you want to renew your temporary export you will have to travel back to a border to do so. You can do this at any border, just make sure you park your bike at the Laos side. If they reject, you can always ride back into Thailand and repeat the process.
Getting A Temporary Import Permit (Lao Side)
Once you have your Temporary Export or have stamped your Import out of Thailand, tell the official that you need to go talk to customs in Laos before exiting Thailand. Park your bike up and walk over to the Laos side, with all of your documents. You do not want to stamp out yet, because if you get rejected at Laos, you are now in no-man’s land without any visa for any country. If Thailand doesn’t let you back in, you’ve lost your motorcycle.
On the way to the Laos side, after you have exited the underpass, there is a small green building with brown windows and the Lao insignia. You need to stop here, hand over your documents (green book, driving license etc.) and get a document from them to prove it’s your motorbike (you’ll need this later to exit customs).
After this, proceed to the main building, and locate the customs offices (to the right-hand side of the main tourist visa arrival section). You will see numbers above them, when you see office 1, look to the left of you and there is a small door around 15m away from that office, which has 2 machines inside it.
You are going to use these machines to fill out your own import permit.
There will be a man there basically shouting at you to get a company, ignore him, be firm, and say “no, I’m doing it myself”. He will try to help you fill in the information on the screen, do not let him and use the spare machine to start the process yourself.
When you are on the machine, you will not see any options for a 125cc. If you have a 125cc, you simply select “custom vehicle” and then input all the information for your motorcycle in here. If you have a Thai motorbike, all of this information can be found in your green book. The machine will print out some paper when you’re done, go to customs office 1 and pay 60,000 kip ($2-4) for the document.
This will offer you 30-days of temporary import. You can extend this at any Laotian border once you have the document.
Now get your visa!
Getting Your Visa
Go back to Thailand, stamp out with your visa there in the usual way. Then collect your motorbike, ride to Laos side, park up and go through the tourist visa on arrival process. This is fairly easy, just walk into the main building and talk to the immigration officer. You will fill out some forms, and they will stamp your passport. The visa cost should be anywhere between $30-40 USD.
I would recommend getting your visa early from a consulate, this avoids any form of corruption at the border, and they will just stamp the visa at the border.
Driving Into Laos
Now you have your visa and all your documents, drive through customs to the last office. They will instruct you to park up and provide them all your documents. Do so, and once they have inspected and stamped them, you can drive on into Laos.
On the other side there is a small office where you can purchase optional insurance. I would recommend doing this, it is only 500 baht ($15-17). This covers you for 30-days in Laos. You are able to extend this insurance if needs be.
Now Plan Your Journey!
Enjoy your journey in Laos. If you need route recommendations, I highly suggest you check out our guide which covers a 30-day itinerary to ex CIA bases and historical points of interest.
Here are some photos for inspiration!
FAQ
Can I Take A 125cc into Laos?
Most people will tell you there’s a 250cc limit. This might be written in law, but in practice you can currently take a 125cc into Laos. Make sure you click “custom vehicle” on the customs declaration machines, and you will be able to input your bike and pay for your tax. At other borders, you need a company to do this for you, which is why Chong Mek is the preferred border crossing of choice.
Can I Return To Any Border?
After your customs declaration form is stamped, you can return to any border of your choice. For instance, I returned to Nong Khai border, even though I crossed at Chong Mek. Coming back, no company services were required. You only need to stamp back into Thailand.
Insurance For The Bike
There is optional insurance available at the border. This can be purchased for 500 baht ($14-16 USD), and will cover you for 30-days of travel in Laos.
Temporary Export Permit From Thailand (Motorbike Permit)
You get a 30-day temporary limit to export your bike from Thailand. This should be free, but some borders charge 20-40 baht ($0.6 – $1) If you go over this, you are required to pay 1000 baht/day ($30 USD), with a maximum upper limit fine of 10,000 baht ($300). This can be extended at the border you exited from.
I’m Harry – and I was tired of the same old “10 best places I’ve never been but I’m writing about for some reason” blog posts. So… I’m a young traveller on a mission to travel the world and share my true, unfiltered experience, including all the gristly details. From packing my life into one bag for a year, to traveling Vietnam by motorbike, to sorting out Visas for specific countries – I’ve done it all, am doing it all and only give my advice on things I have done – not regurgitated cr*p from another source *cough* most publications *cough*. So bear with us! This project will take some time to grow, and will take a fair bit of money. But I’m determined to make it the single best source of information about traveling on the internet.
